News & Events

SOLAS Update

Dec2

Written by:Wednesday, December 02, 2015

The SOLAS amendment, which will require verification and certification of all container weights, is targeted for worldwide implementation on July 1, 2016, and is fast approaching. The Coast Guard will have regulatory oversight for the U.S. We do not have an announcement from the Coast Guard on the release of their regulations, but speculation is the end of December or first of January.

Melzie Wilson of Mallory is working with CESAC NVOCC SOLAS Subcommittee, who are sharing with the Coast Guard, shipper current processes thru relatable scenarios. Donna Lemm, as Chairman and Melzie Wilson are working with the AgTC SOLAS Subcommittee from the shippers perspective.

“We are bringing this to the attention of appropriate Members of Congress; and reaching out to the Coast Guard which is the relevant federal agency drafting compliance and enforcement guidelines. We are concerned that without an intimate familiarity of the complexity of the ocean shipping, port handling, port deliver, ship loading processes, that this rule could exacerbate congestion and delay at what has already been an extremely difficult year at the gateway seaports,The AGTC is reaching out to Congressmen who have jurisdiction over the Coast Guard in an effort to share with the Coast Guard insight on every day export practices that will be impacted by this amendment. “

Mallory is participating with many of our ag and forest product shippers on the AGTC SOLAS working committee and Donna Lemm is the chair. We are asking as a committee for review of the variances that exist among the carriers on tare weight by size and by type . We are hopeful there will be an acceptable tolerance that is recognized for VGM (verified gross mass), which would take into consideration tare weight variance , along with the concern of moisture impacting the final actual weights of our goods when exported.

We are in a holding position for now and all discussions still under review. We are up against a possible Coast Guard announcement of the guidelines to follow before our shared voice can be heard.

Shippers need to ensure they are prepared for new container weight verification rules that will be put into force next year, the U.K. Freight Transport Association (FTA) has advised.

FTA said shippers could fall afoul of the new legislation after July 1, 2016 if they don’t put measures in place to verify the gross mass of containers before shipment.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has adopted amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea convention (SOLAS) requiring every packed export container to have its weight verified before being loaded onto a ship.

Chris Welsh, FTA’s director of global and European policy, who also acts as the secretary general of the Global Shippers Forum said, “Shippers will be responsible for verifying container weights before loading and they need to be putting plans in place now to ensure they are ready. Containers without a verified weight won’t be loaded onto container vessels from July, 1 2016.”

FTA noted two methods of verifying weight are acceptable – either weighing the packed container using certified and calibrated equipment or using a calculated weight method which involves summing the individual items separately, and adding the tare weight of the container and packing materials using an approved process.

“The countdown towards 1 July 2016 is looming with nine months to go before implementation," added Welsh. "Shippers should now start discussions with their carriers and freight forwarders to set in place the logistics and communications systems to ensure compliance with the new rules and to avoid non-shipment and delays in the supply chain.”